Herbert ethebidge



H. ETHERIDGE.

mason FEEDMECHANISM FOR TYPEWRITERS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28. 1914.

1,194,979. 7 Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

Wllbzesses Ewen/tor wiwmw 1 a 2 am I ' improved mechanism whereby HERBERT ETHEBIDGE, OF

RIBBON-FEED WIMBLEDON PARK, ENGLAND, TYPEWBITER COMPANY, LIMITED,

ASSIGNOBEO THE BAR-LOCK OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MECHANISM FOR- TYPE-WRITERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

Application filed July 28, 1914. Serial No. 853,764.

To all whom it may concerm Be it known that I, HERBERT Err nnrnen, a subject of the King of England, residing at Wimbledon Park, Surrey, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Writers, of which fication. v

This invention is for improvements in or relating to ribbon-feed mechanism for typewriters an has for its object to provide the direction of feed of the ribbon is automatically reversed when it has been unwound completely from one spool.

It has heretofore been proposed to move a lever to operate ribbon feed reversing mechanism by a member projecting through one of the side flanges, pivoted on the spool and moved radially by the ribbon when it has been unwound, and no claim is made thereto.

The resent invention comprises ribbonfeed reversing mechanism for a typewriter having a memb the spool as to the following 18 a specier pivoted on be capable of radial movement thereon under the control of the ribbon, wherein the member projects the direction of the aXis of the spool. These projecting portions may engage the lever or other device mounted on the machine adjacent to the spool and thereby control the clutch, ratchet or other mechanism whereby the spools are rotated; such mechanisms are well known, and form in themselves no part of the present invention.

The radially movable member which is pivotally mounted on the spool, is disposed with its pivotal axis parallel with but eccentric to the axis of the spool and it has ears which project through slots in both the flanges of the spool for the purpose above described. The member is pivoted close to one side of the hub of thespool and curved so as to lie against the hub in its inoperative position.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a plan, Fig. 2 is a plan in section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 3 is an elevation of a ribbon-spool according to the present invention.

,The ribbon-spool is of ordinary construc; tion comprising a hub A with flanges B, The hub is provided with a central opening A to receive the spindle by which it is Ribbon-Feed Mechanism for Typeend of the beyond both flanges 1n ears D occupy typewriter in two ways, 7..

driven for. winding-on the ribbon; a rivet or bolt A is arranged to project into the cavity A to engage key-way onv it so as to provide operative connection between the two. An arm D f operating the ribbon-feed reversing mec anism is pivoted at one end D close to the hub and curved to the same curvature as the hub, so that it can lie close against't when" the ribbon is wound on the spool. The free arm D is provided at D with a hook for attaching the end of the ribbon to it, and there are also formed on it cars which project throu hslots B in each of the flanges B and 5'; these slots, whereof one only is shown, are curved concentrically with the pivot point D of the arm D.

The other details of the ribbon-feed rever'sing mechanism may e of any desired type which has an operating member situated adjacent to the spindle which receives the ribbon-spool. This member is arrange so that when the ears D lie at the inner end of the slot B they do not engage it, that is to say when the arm D lies close to the hub v,A with the ribbon wound on the spool. When the ribbon is fully unwound it causes the arm D to swing about its pivot D so that the a position-farther from the center of the spool than they did; when in this osition they engage with the abovementioned'member and cause the direction of the feed to be reversed. A spool may be placed on either spool-receiving spindle in a 6. there are four ways in wh' ch it may be placed on the machine. If the operating lever is actuated on only one side of the spool, three of these ways will be wrong; in two, the lever will not be operated, and in the third the direction of rotation will be wrong.

It will be appreciated that the present invention provides a simple and inexpensive construction of spool which can operate a reversing lever from either side of itself, that is to say the spool itself is symmeterical and it is not necessary to make any distinction between the two spools on any individual typewriter with respect to their cooperation with either mechanism; either spool, therefore, may be used indiscriminately on either of the two spindles provided therefor in a typewriter, and its placing on the typewriter is thereby facilitated since there are. two right ways of placing it in position specification instead of only one as the two spools are interchangeable. 7

It will be understood that throughout this where the term typewriter is used any typing mechanism, such for example as is sometimes employed in an adding machine, is intended to be included.

It will be seen that the arm D is curved to lie flush against the hub of the spool and extends approximately half way around the same, the other half of the hub b g occupied by th (1 spring are of the same thickness so that together they pre sent a flush exterior upon which the ribbon versible mechanism, with pro ections thereon passing through both flanges of the spool, and pivoting the said pro ection-carrying shape cause it to be in theway of the ribbon or to increase the size of the spool.

hat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is An interchangeable ribbon spool for typewriters, having a hub and a plurality of flanges, each flange having a curved slot t erein, a-ribbon reversing arm hinged at the hub of the spool and arranged to freely swing about an axisparallel with the axis of the hub, a hook on the end of said arm adapted to receive the end of the ribbon, and ears on said arm extending through the slots in the flanges, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT ETHERIDGE. Witnesses:

O. G. WORTH, W. C. Rocnns. 

